Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

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Chapter VI
The Faith Community –
Congregational Stewardship
If the cultivation of good stewardship begins with
diocesan/presbytery leadership, it is most readily lived
out in the context of parish life. This is where people gather; this is
where fears and concerns about the future of the Church are voiced
and addressed; this is where the Word is preached; and this is where
the heart and hands of Christ are opened to the world.
Church Attendance
Perhaps more than any other factor, it is the decline in Church
attendance, noticeable first in parish churches, which has created a
sense of urgency with respect to matters of stewardship. The needs
of God’s world are as compelling as ever; the Church’s mission is
as ambitious as ever; but there are fewer people who are committed
to carrying it out. When Christian communities find themselves
stretched even to maintain their material infrastructure, it is small
wonder that the faithful remnant is buffeted between hopelessness
and hand-wringing. What, we fret, is to become of us?